


Rewind

by eyedocjr



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, headcannons headcannons everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-05 07:58:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5367422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyedocjr/pseuds/eyedocjr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because every time you remember, every time you loop back to the beginning of a memory, something about it changes every so slightly. Sebastian doesn't notice, Ruvik does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Provocation

**Author's Note:**

> I have some serious headcanons about the save station and Sebastian's connection to it burning in the back of my skull and had a mighty need to write them down. Slow build at first but will pick up as the story progresses. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every story has its beginnings.

"How are you feeling today, detective? You were out for so long that I was worried you were never going to wake up.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sebastian flashed a bewildered glance at the nurse outside his cell. Seeing as how the question, and the person asking it, came out of nowhere, it took the detective a moment to gather his thoughts before focusing his attention on the individual in question. Her calm demeanor and neutral posture made her seem like she wasn't a threat, but with all the insane shit he went through up to this point, Sebastian was in no hurry to waltz right into another death-trap. Despite his initial suspicions, the blink he received didn't give him any clues as to her intentions and it only served to worsen his already searing migraine. Seconds of unpleasant silence stretched into agonizing minutes until the futility of the action led Sebastian to give up on playing the waiting game. Any protest or arguments he might have had against the lady staring back at him died as pure exhaustion took control, causing his arms go slack against his sides and making him stretch his neck back to observe the limits of his prison.

"Well, could you at least let me out of this cell?"

A disinterested shrug later and the door was open. Taking a glance outside, Sebastian scanned the area around him inspecting every nook and cranny the room had to offer. He noted every crack, every speck of dust that floated across his haze of vision refusing to leave anything to chance in the Little Hell House of Horrors. The building itself was already unsettling as it was and he didn't need to be dealing with literal skeletons in the closet jumping out at him at any given notice. When he was satisfied with the search, he left the room, legs carrying him to the reception desk where the expressionless nurse was waiting for him.

"Not exactly the welcome party I was expecting, but eh it will have to do." Ignoring him, the nurse continued to shuffle the papers in front of her until she produced a bleached manila file folder with a bold, red CLASSIFIED title on it and a worn-out pen, holding the latter out in front of Sebastian as if he already knew what to do with it.

"What is this for?"

"Documentation, detective. If you don't sign in, we have no way of ensuring your future memories. Now, if you please," she ended, waving the pen in front of his chest as if holding it was too much of an effort to bear. Taking it, he rolled it around in his hand, idly glancing over the paper and at the indifferent expression of the person in front of him as if doing so a second time would help him understand the prospect a bit better.

"Not even just a little hint?"

"I can't. That is classified."

She tapped on the cover of the folder to further cement her vague point much to Sebastian's continued irritation. The detective silently wondered if she had turned the act of obfuscation into an art form, she certainly seemed experienced enough in doing it. Knowing that standing there wouldn't solve anything, he threw up his hands in defeat and put the pen to the parchment. It's not as if being stubborn was going to change anything anyway.


	2. Recollection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People are prone to forget things they don't cherish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to re-write this chapter a few times before I was finally satisfied with it. Enjoy!

The first time it happened, it came as a surprise.

After entering the mirror world for what was now the third time that day, Sebastian stood with his hands clasped to the sides of his head and fingers rubbing circles into his temples.

"Is something the matter, you look like you've seen a ghost." 

Pursing his lips, the detective took a brief moment to gather his bearings before letting out a soft chuckle, "You could say that again." Truth be told, Sebastian was starting to enjoy her blasé comments in spite of himself. It was certainly a lot more comforting to hear than the unnatural silence of the world outside and it gave him something to look forward to whenever he came back. Plus, having somewhat friendly company to be around wasn't half bad either.

The detective signed his name in the usual place at the bottom of the page and gave a nod to the nurse, turning his attention towards the mirror at the end of the hall. He'd left Jimenez alone for long enough and, while the distraction was sufficient enough to thin the number of monsters, it wouldn't last forever. As much of a stubborn jerk the doctor was, he still seemed to know more about the situation than he let on and Sebastian would love to sit down and talk with him once they get out of dodge. Unfortunately, leaving required him to clear out the area first, a necessary evil that was becoming increasingly more common the longer he was in this world.

Knowing that, he gave a swift kick to the entrance of the building, brandishing his revolver at any creature that decided to take advantage of his sudden entrance. Seeing no immediate threat, he proceeded outside but not without caution. Sidestepping over broken planks of wood and brushing past piles of burning hay, Sebastian steadily made his way to the center of town slightly off put by the lack of creatures that would normally be going for his throat. If it smelled like a trap, looked like a trap, and seemed like a trap, then it was probably a trap. Sebastian had been in enough staredowns and shootouts with drug gangs and domestic abusers to know when things weren't as they initially seemed.

Almost as if on cue, the detective was ripped from his thoughts as a bullet tore through his left shoulder, ending any speculation that he might be drawn into an ambush. He clutched the spot where the shot had left its mark, feeling past torn cloth to remove the projectile that had embedded itself deep within his shoulder. Hearing a guttural moan from behind him, Sebastian pulled his revolver around to fire at a monster that shuffled too close for comfort. The bullet blew off a significant portion of its head but didn't stop its attack as its mouth made contact with the detective's ruined shoulder. Pain made way to searing agony and it took all Sebastian had to keep from screaming out entirely as he shoved his assailant off him.

Hearing the ghastly screams of decaying monsters, Sebastian had no time to bemoan his injuries before turning on his heel and sprinting towards the far side of town. What was once one monster had since multiplied to fifteen and was steadily increasing in number as the scent of blood drew them nearer to each other. 

"Shit, shit, shit!" No matter which alleyway he ran into, no matter how high he climbed, more and more of those things arrived as they found the body that they were looking for. There wasn't enough bullets in either of his guns to deal with them all, but if he could find something that could take them out at the same time...

Taking a hard left, Sebastian sprinted towards a cracked window attached to an abandoned farm house with the hope that the smaller area would make it harder for his pursuers to attack in unison. He ducked under the windowsill as he entered and picked his way through the maze of broken furniture to make himself less noticeable from the outside. When he took a look outside and nothing came up, Sebastian turned his attention to rapid footsteps coming from the stairwell at the far side of the room. For a brief moment, he stood in stunned curiosity as a creature pulled a lever just beyond his field of vision. Said curiosity immediately turned to dread as he heard the preparation of a trap somewhere inside the building. Not knowing where it came from and not wanting to find out, Sebastian jumped through the corridor near the entrance of the house just in time for a spike to whizz by his face and puncture the ground below.

Before he had time to catch his breath, the sound of a door being broken down on his blind side alerted him to the impending crowd that he thought he had ditched. Out of options, out of places to run, and out of viable options, he brandished his shotgun in an effort to hold his ground. As the monsters made a beeline towards him, the detective started blasting. He knocked a few of them off their feet and watched as the ones behind them staggered from the inertia, but was unable to rush forward and light them up with a match as originally intended. Much to his annoyance, the monsters in the back moved forward to fill the gap where their companions once stood. Frustration wormed its way to his face as he repeated the action of blasting and reloading. Finally, the last wave was blown off their feet and he had enough leeway to break out a match and drop it in the pile of bodies. At this point, it felt very relieving to kill the opponents that gave him so much trouble before; dropping match after match until he ran out and the ground was alight with the blaze of burning bodies.

Standing back to survey his work, there was an air of apprehension as he scanned for anything that decided that it wasn't done yet. Seeing only charred remains, Sebastian turned back to enter the main area of the house only to jump back again as he avoided a torch aimed straight for his face. Frustrated once again, Sebastian brandished his revolver and fired, blowing a chunk of the monster's head of at point-blank range. Unfazed, the monster took another swing at Sebastian, catching his sleeve and lighting his shirt on fire. The detective recoiled away from the flames, rolling on the ground to extinguish the fabric before rolling up on one knee to plant a final bullet in the skull of the monster. With the creature downed and the house finally silent, Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief. He stood to dust himself of the ashes that still clung to his shirt, but as he did so, tripped a wire that decided to solidify in place exactly where he stood. There was a bang. A flash of light. And the world went dark.

-

The first time it happened, it came as a surprise.

After entering the mirror world for what was now the third time that day, Sebastian stood with his hands clasped to the sides of his head and fingers rubbing circles into his temples.

"Is something the matter, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Pursing his lips, the detective took a brief moment to gather his bearings before letting out a soft chuckle.

"You could say that again."

Again. 

Like molten silver, a burning, unsettling sensation of deja-vu rippled through Sebastian. He toed the floor with the front of his shoe and subtly glanced from side to side, looking to see if anything, anything at all, was out of place. Checking to see that he had signed the paper (he did; strange, he couldn't remember doing so), Sebastian headed straight for the edge of the hall. He didn't stop even as he faded from one reality into the next and bashed open the front door not caring if he was heard or not.

Sebastian nearly sprinted to the middle of town, jumping over boxes and rushing through semi-lit piles of hay. Seeing nothing did little to ease his already heightened sense of anxiety and only served to make his paranoia worse. For a man who thrived on keeping his cool in the tensest of situations, seeing him in such a position was completely unsettling. The town was (thankfully) quick to clear out. With the element of surprise and a relatively few number of monsters to attack, Sebastian had an easy time maneuvering around without facing too much trouble. 

When he entered the house with the broken window, however, that is when he froze. Hearing footsteps coming towards the bottom of the steps, the detective had already retrieved the gun from the holster, aimed the barrel, and fired a round that connected head on with the skull of the creature fumbling towards the switch at the end of the hall. He watched the body as it tumbled down the remaining flights, feeling slightly smug that he managed to get the drop on it before it did the same to him. It almost felt like he knew it was coming and just reacted accordingly. Closing the distance between the two, Sebastian picked up the torch that the monster once held and used it to inspect the switch on the wall. He brushed the tips of his fingers over the handle in an attempt to pull the lever, but held back out of instictive fear. Sebastian couldn't say that his reactions to the situation were purely up to dumb luck and he couldn't just brush it off as chance, but there was certainly something inherently wrong with the situation and that was what disturbed him the most.


	3. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes guns blazing isn't the best option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Sorry this chapter took me so long, I got hit with the writer's block something fierce. I'm thinking that there will be around 15-16 chapters in total for this fic so that's something to look forward to for those of you who are interested. It's also going to be the last battle-focused chapter I'm going to do for a while since things are going to start kicking off into explanation/introspection-land from here on out. Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

Sebastian had thought he had seen everything that the world had to offer. Thought he had experienced all the mind-numbing horrors that Ruvik had in store for him. But this? This was new, very new. Trudging waist deep through bloody corpses and visceral remains, Sebastian struggled to stay upright. Despite his experiences as a cop and investigator hardening him for whatever chilling brutalities he might have faced on a case, being dunked head first into the seething mass of bodily residue was enough to turn anyone's stomach.

Refusing to give Ruvik the satisfaction of seeing him squirm, Sebastian shuffled in place to pinpoint any possible exit out of the vat that lead to dry land. Thankfully, all of that tossing and turning paid off as he found an extended platform a few feet away from his location. Bounding over to it, he placed both his hands on the railing above and half-pulled, half-jumped his way out of the pit of nightmares and back onto solid ground.

As he took stock of his inventory and made sure everything he had was intact, Sebastian took a moment to antiquate himself with the newest room he had arrived in. It was a spacious and unsurprisingly dark place that reeked of decades old mold and rusted metal with an eerie quiet that seemed to penetrate every corner of the compound. It was the same type of quiet that had set the detective on edge back in the village.

Just like it had back then, Sebastian felt his heart jump into his throat as a migraine burned its way into the front of his brain. A creeping premonition took hold of him along with the feeling that he had been here before. Had been here before and, just like back in the town, had _died_ in an ambush that caught him off guard. This vision was enough to put a light into his feet and tell him that he needed to get the hell out of dodge before history ended up repeating itself. There was a lone door on the farthest reaches of the room that looked like it was the only place to actually leave the area. Trap, or not, there was no way that Sebastian was going to ignore the disturbing vision that he was hit with twice in a row now.

After a few more minutes of fumbling around in the dark, Sebastian's end goal was finally in sight. He embraced the feeling of relief as he approached the door and gripped the handle; giving it a swift tug to open it up. He felt the door buckle slightly but still remain shut, adamant on denying him entry to the outside. He gave another, stronger pull the this time and watched as the door buckled once more... and as the handle popped right off the ticked by before Sebastian gave any sort of reaction. There were no words to describe the sensation he felt in that instant. None to explain the slightly despair filled chuckles that slipped past his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose and turned the metallic knob around in his hand.

"What's wrong? Feeling frustrated?

The blood in Sebastian's veins froze as he spun to face the pale man standing behind him at the foot of the steps.

"Because I've been experiencing those exact same emotions whenever I have to deal with you. After all, I hate it when perfectly laid plans are upset by _vermin_ who don't understand the bigger picture."

If looks could kill, then Sebastian would have long since burst into flames from the heated death glare that the man was giving him. There was a rare glint of something else in the eyes that were throwing daggers at him, but he couldn't place it to an emotion before Ruvik vanished from sight. In place of the silence from before, a low hum echoed throughout the room that sent the detective into a defensive maneuver. Bubbles surfaced in the lake of blood as bodies emerged and started taking themselves to the raised platforms; all of them arriving with the intent of killing the only living being left in the room. This time, they weren't going to let him escape, Ruvik's cryptic message was enough to make sure he understood that.

Happy that he decided to not disable all of the bombs, Sebastian retrieved his revolver and aimed it at the explosive on the far right-hand post; firing and detonating it as soon as a few of the creatures drew close. The resulting explosion was effective at thinning the numbers a bit, but wasn't enough to completely quell the crowd that was gathering at the far end of the hallway. Ensuring that their focus was solely on him, Sebastian hustled across the broken dock that conjoined the rooms while taking care to duck under the chest-high trip wire that dangled just out of sight. A pang of fear grew in the pit of his stomach as his speed slowed to a crawl, but he immediately brushed it off as he broke from his crouch and leaped across the edge of the railway. Safely on the other side, Sebastian didn't even have to turn around to hear the blast being set off as one of his pursuers blindly stumbled into the trap meant for him.

Sprinting towards the door at the end of the hall, the detective didn't waste any time removing himself from the vicinity; the low drone of monsters telling him that there were reinforcements emerging from the liquid. After thrusting it open, he slammed the door shut as soon as the rest of him was through and used the few seconds he stole to catch his breath and think of a way out of his current situation.

Those few seconds were all he had to work with though as the sound of groaning intensified behind the locked entrance. Sebastian swore under his breath as he racked his brain for an answer. He needed a way out of this mess, and he needed one fast. Exhaling, he let his eyes wander up and around the ceiling carving lazy circles into the cracked canopy. A flash of red and yellow alerted him to a set of barrels that hung near the corner of one of the walls. Looking closer, he could see the words "Warning" and "Explosive" written on the sides in bold lettering. If there was any chance he had of gaining the upper hand in this battle, this was it.

As he scrambled to get to the canisters, the clawing at the door grew louder and more frequent as it began to buckle and strain under the assault. Bolts loosened and flew from the sockets as a multitude of hands reached in to tear the door off of its hinges and toss it off to the side. The room was filled to capacity as the monsters swarmed the area, buzzing about in a form of controlled chaos as they continued to hunt for their target. They only stopped their motion when the sound of metallic clanging turned their heads to a red barrel lying haphazardly in the center of the floor. Puttering forward to inspect it, they hopped back once again as another, similar container landed next to it. The creatures stared at the two for a moment, shocked at the sudden intrusion of the objects. They were so closely focused on their target that the sound of a harpoon being fired didn't even set them off; that is until said harpoon exploded, taking the farthest half of the group out and sending the remaining ones staggering off their feet.

Sebastian took advantage of the confusion to launch another explosive bolt to the far left of the crowd before jumping down into the open clearing, just out of range as the other bolt went off and sent the crowd into another dazed spiral. He prepared and fired another bolt into the center of the now diminished crowd, confident that his last round would be the one to finish them off for good. Unfortunately for him, the target he had in mind was wise to his plans and ducked out of the way at the last second. Just his luck. He barely had time to barrel roll out of the way at the mob crashed down where he once stood. Operating in unison, they tried to pin Sebastian against the wall but he kept dodging out of the way at the last second. Every time they surged, he sidestepped them as they ran past. Every time they picked themselves back up, Sebastian was already moving to a spot where they couldn't corner him.

Dodging from another assault, the detective knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. His only human endurance was going to give out eventually, but he just needed to last a little bit longer if he wanted to get out of there intact. Now nearly adjacent to the open hole where the door used to be, Sebastian once again moved to duck out of the way when he felt a leather boot connect squarely with his stomach, knocking the wind from him and sending him flying across the floor. It was a low blow, one that caused him to double over and gag from the force of the impact. He struggled to get to his feet but the pain in his chest sent him back down to all fours once more. The damn thing must have broken one of his ribs and, by the sound of it, seemed quite pleased with its efforts too. With options dwindling and panic growing, Sebastian grit his teeth and kicked out with both legs, trying to put a small gap between himself and the surging crowd. The detective didn't get very far with his efforts, but he did manage to hit something hard with his foot that gave him a smidgen of hope. The explosive barrels from before were perfect for a distraction when he needed it the most, and it looked like he would need them again if he wanted to leave this place with his life still intact. The feeling of wind whooshing past his left ear made the opening that he was looking for. Rolling over to avoid the fist that came for his head, Sebastian once again grabbed his revolver, aimed, and pulled the trigger just as the crowd came crashing down on top of him.

The resulting blast ricocheted throughout the room burning everything in sight and catapulting the detective through the opening and back outside. The sound of tumultuous wailing followed by bodies hitting the ground let the detective know that his plan was a successful one. It was a risky, bold, and incredibly stupid plan but WOW did he feel awesome doing it. There was always a sense of relief that came from an agenda coming together and Sebastian wasn't about to let that feeling pass, not when he barely escaped by the skin of his teeth.

Seconds turned into minutes as the weight of the world came trickling back down to the dazed man on the floor, making him realize that Ruvik could come back at any moment that he pleased and simply off the detective with another horde if he wanted to. Sebastian wasn't about to stick around for that horror show and he tentatively started to peel himself from his place on the floor. With the way finally open and no other beings to fight, the detective resumed his pace to the door all while taking slight glances to the left and right for good measure.

At the door, he extended his hand to take the knob once more, turning it to find that yes, it did stay on this time and yes, he could push it open without any surprises jumping out at him. He was happy to put this whole mess behind him and leave, but there was a sense of foreboding about what Ruvik had told him. A sense that things were about to go south in ways that the detective could never even begin to imagine.


	4. Update!

Hey all, it's eyedocjr here with an update. First of all, WOW this fic has really gotten attention over the years. When I first started writing this, I never expected it to get the attention that it's received, so I really want to share a thank you with the people out there who've stuck by this fic. Second (and most importantly), I'd like to apologize for the lack of update this work has gotten. All of you seem really interested in what's to come, so I want to continue this work to finish it up so as to not leave this fic hanging like so many others out there. Expect new chapters this upcoming year, and thank you all for sticking by this for so long. 

Happy New Year 2018 and I'll see you real soon!


	5. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get a little more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand I'm 3 days late with this OF COURSE. Regardless, I hope all of you enjoy this one and thanks for sticking by me this whole time! Check the end for more.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Just as they saved Kidman, JUST as the three of them were finally together again, the world decided to give Sebastian the middle finger and separate them once more. Jumping back to avoid falling into the chasm, he managed to keep himself from sliding in by the skin of his teeth. Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same for his two companions as he watched them plummet into the void below.

Once the rumbling stopped, Sebastian hustled to the edge and looked in hoping to spot at least some trace of the duo. As predicted, he saw nothing but void and grimaced as he ran a hand through his hair. There was no way forward but down, that much was obvious. However, that didn't mean that he had to rush in with reckless abandon and get himself killed; he'd had enough close calls with death to keep him on his toes for the rest of his life.

Therefore, Sebastian took the cautious route and kicked a rock into the chasm to gauge the depth. He watched it fall... and fall... and fall... and fall... until he confirmed that the rock wasn't going to land anytime soon. He groaned and ran both hands down his face as he thought about what he had to do next.  
No, rest for the weary as they say.

He eyed the hole one last time and whispered a silent prayer before jumping in, falling for about 5 seconds before his feet hit solid ground. Sebastian stumbled in shock as he tripped into the wall, not expecting his travel time to be as short as it was considering the past experiment left lackluster results. Still, it was nice to know that he didn't fall to a gruesome death so there was at least one plus for the evening. 

After walking forward for what seemed like 5 minutes, the sound of gunshots rang out throughout the cavern. Taking out his revolver, Sebastian sprinted forward to the source of the noise, hoping that the quietness that followed didn't signal that he was too late. Thankfully his fears were unwarranted as he saw Kidman take out the last of the creatures that stumbled towards them, the halt in gunfire merely signaling that she was reloading her gun, not that she was in trouble.

"Are you two okay?"

Kidman grunted before stretching her arms, "Took you long enough. Yeah, we're fine. Joseph's got a few bruises that need checking out but other than that any damage that we've got is minor."

"Thank God." 

Sebastian walked over to Joseph and extended his hand to his fallen partner. Joseph took it and groaned in pain as he stood, his injuries clearly more severe than Kidman let on. Sebastian frowned and fished through his pocket, pulling out a medical syringe and grabbing his partner's arm at the same time. 

"Oh, uh, there's no need for you to do that. I'm fine. Besides, you should save that for yourself, Seb." Joseph struggled for a bit and attempted to turn away, but Sebastian merely gripped his arm tighter and administered the drug without a single word.

"No way, not going to happen. This place is already a mad-house as is and it only gets worse if you're incapacitated. I'd rather lose a syringe and have you live then keep it and let you die."  
Joseph wriggled his arm away from Sebastian and rubbed the spot where the metal pierced his skin. Sebastian could tell that the man was grateful, but he also knew that Joseph would never say it aloud. Turning his head to face Kidman, he stuttered as he caught her staring at him in wide-eyed bewilderment. It was an incredibly odd expression to say the least; even more odd when it came from a person whose normal expression was cold and unreadable. The look was fleeting, however, her face falling back into its normal expression just as quickly as it had arrived. Sebastian brushed it off as he walked over to stand beside her, inspecting the gate that stood between them and potential freedom. 

"Think we can use this to get out of here?" 

She shrugged, "Possibly. I checked out the rigging and everything seems intact, but lifting this thing is an entirely different story."

"Alright then."

Sebastian turned to Joseph and shouted to grab the man's attention. Joseph, then lost in space, snapped to reality and turned his awareness from his thoughts to the two people in front of him. Realizing what was needed from him, Joseph bounded over to the corner opposite the detective and crouched down as close to the wall as he could. He stuck his hands just enough under the rusty gate to get a firm grip on the metal and widened his stance; readying himself so as not to accidentally slip and drop the gate as Kidman passed underneath. None of them wanted to cut their numbers short because of a minor error in judgement. 

After giving the signal, Sebastian and Joseph lifted the entrance. They manage to get the gate high enough for Kidman to slip through without trouble and dropped it as soon as her foot disappeared to the other side.

Stepping back to dust themselves off and avoid catching any limbs in the falling metal, the two detectives stood in silence as they waited for Kidman to unlock the door. Sebastian took this time to give himself a once over to make sure that everything was intact while Joseph merely adjusted his glasses and gloves. Joseph, as Sebastian noticed, was acting uncharacteristically aloof. Sure, he wasn't the type of guy who was the outgoing and extroverted type… but this? This was a new level of distant that Sebastian had never seen before. 

As if on cue, Joseph turned to stare at his partner with an unusual ferocity, "Hey Seb, have you ever felt like you're reliving certain aspects of your life despite never having experienced the moment before that instance?"

He paused, "Never having... what... oh. You mean like Deja vu?"

"Sort of, Deja vu means recalling events similar to the one you're experiencing, making it seem like you’ve done them before. What I'm referring to is having flashbacks to events that shouldn't have happened before that moment, yet they exist anyway."

That line made Sebastian freeze. He'd experienced strange events like that before, but he'd always just brushed it off as the world trying to fuck with him. However, now that he knew that Joseph experienced the same thing...

_SLAM_

The harsh slam of a door brought the two men's attention back to Kidman. She'd managed to unlock the door and bust it open from its fixed position in the wall, successfully freeing the trio from their current predicament. Kidman looked both ways before shouting at the duo, waving them down and ducking back through the door. Not wanting to stick around, Joseph and Sebastian followed suit and entered the hallway beyond.

The trio walked through the din of the corridor as Sebastian started his round of questioning. Concerned, he'd asked Kidman how she'd gotten into her predicament in the first place, but her response was vague and didn't leave him with any answers. All while they talked, Kidman kept stealing glances at the detective as if something greatly bothered her. He wanted to ask why but kept it to himself as he had more pressing questions to get to. Once the round of 20 questions was over, the hallway fell back into silence. That is, until Kidman finally decided to air her grievances with Sebastian.

"Where did you get that?"

Stunned, he stared at her retreating back, "Where did I get what?"

"The syringe. I didn't even know you had one on you when you came in."

"From... my pocket? Where else would I keep it?"

Kidman stopped walking and turned to face him, "No I mean: where? As in, I know your pockets are large, but that syringe is far bigger than any of the pockets that you have on you. You don’t have your trench coat with you, so where were you keeping it this whole time?"

It was Sebastian's turn to stop walking. He'd... he'd never really thought about that before. He'd just been so grateful to see the med kits as he passed by that he'd pocket them without thinking, though he did notice that there did seem to be a limit to how many he could fit on him at any given time.

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair before answering, "That... is a legitimately good question Kid. I don't actually have an answer for that."

Joseph chimed in, "Well then, let's just add this to the list of strange occurrences so far. That and," he gestured to everywhere around him, "This."

Sebastian hummed in agreement and was about to start walking when hand grabbed his torso and ended the conversation before it even began. Similar hands grabbed Kidman and Joseph and held them in place as they worked to free themselves. The two struggled, but the struggle was useless when the arms dragged them beneath the floor moments later. Sebastian put up his own fight as well, but, like his two comrades before him, he was dragged beneath the floor to parts unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to make this one longer than most to make up for the time spent in between this chapter and the last update. I wanted to make it even longer, but realized that it would already push back the post time further than it'd already been delayed not to mention bloat the entire chapter. Finally, I do plan on finishing this fic so, regardless of how long it takes to finish, it will get done.


End file.
